


In Both Lives

by chromochaotic



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memory Loss, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:17:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11272509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromochaotic/pseuds/chromochaotic
Summary: Major spoilers for The Stolen Century arc!Memory loss can change a lot of things. But some things stay the same, like an old song following a familiar melody."Magnus... I got to fall in love with you twice.”





	In Both Lives

**Author's Note:**

> This is a cleaned up version of a drabble I posted to my blog—hopefully it makes a little more sense now. My fanfic M.O. is schmoopy, sappy, sugary fluff, which this pretty much fits...
> 
> The flow here is probably a little bumpy, but I really really wanted to get into this whole memory-love-amnesia headcanon zone!

Lost memories slammed into him like a second soul being shoved into his body. Who was this Magnus? Was he the same person? 

Some things he remembered like watching a complete stranger (his past self landed on new planets like it was nothing; died and came back to life like it was waking up) and some things he remembered intimately because he'd done them twice now (learned to be careful instead of reckless, mourned entire communities).

One memory in particular stood out for its dissonance of almost matching, but not quite. In his past life, he'd fallen in love with Taako. They were happy. In his present, he knew the possibility was there with the elf, but he'd already lost ~~the first~~ ~~second?~~  a person he'd loved dearly, and they both had more walls up, more hurt to hide, so nothing ever happened. But now—

Well, now, they had a planar monster to fight.

* * *

 

Over. It was really over. The battle was won, the world was—mostly—safe, and things could finally slow down. At least for a moment, Magnus could start to sort through the mountain of thoughts that needed processing.

The most pressing of these thoughts, perhaps unsurprisingly, led him to Taako’s room. 

“Bet you 20 GP’s I can guess why you’re here, hombre.” Taako gave a weak smile as he opened his door, letting Magnus inside. Magnus took a moment to glance around the room—it was strange to see it almost identical to the last time he’d spied it, before Wonderland and all the apocalypse hell had started. After taking it in, Magnus switched his focus to Taako. He stared unwaveringly at the elf’s tired eyes, his still-frazzled hair, and his lips and their persistent, if vague, grin.

“Taako, I… I don’t know what to do.” Magnus gulped as he chose a seat on Taako’s bed, gaze dropping to his hands as he laced them tightly together. “I don’t know who we are to each other. We… We were in love. And we _forgot_.”

Taako’s head tilted and his ears dropped in a rare abashed expression. He took a step forward, but Magnus pressed on in his thoughts.

“You went through so much on your own—you got hurt, and. And we both lost things, important things, and just—we didn’t have to be _alone_ for it. It’s not fair. It’s not fair, that we—things changed, and I couldn’t even be there for you—we couldn’t—”

As Magnus went on, his voice grew more and more choked, until at last Taako stole across the room to him and interrupted, “No, no, honey. Magnus.” Taako leaned forward, a bittersweet look in his eyes. “Magnus, forgetting gave me one good thing. In fact, I’m one of the luckiest men alive. Ya know why? Because, my guy." Taako's voice slid into that rare softness. "I got to fall in love with you twice.” 

Magnus’ face twitched. He couldn’t process things in that moment. “What do you mean?”

Taako blinked slowly, staring up in thought as he gingerly sat beside Magnus. “Mmm. Do you remember, it was one of the earlier planets we stopped on, with the deserts?” 

Magnus nodded.

“Now, that was the year I fell in love with your laugh. I made one stupid ‘dessert’ joke, and your loud, obnoxious laugh made me so proud that I told the same joke at least 50 more times that year. Just to hear you do it again.” Taako smiled down at his own clasped hands. “And then, Mags?” He turned, and their gazes met. “I got to fall in love with that same stupid laugh 100 years later, on a stormy night in this stupid Moonbase, when you pranked Merle and helped me forget to be scared of this whole mess for five fucking minutes.”

Magnus could feel a knot forming in his throat. When he didn’t speak, Taako continued, and brushed a hand over Magnus’ thoughtfully.

“These hands. The first time, I knew I loved them when you were carving that lumpy duck.” Taako let out a quiet laugh. “It took you more energy to go slow with that tiny knife than I ever saw you use swinging a big ol' axe. You big goof. And, I loved them a second time when…” Taako stilled for a moment, and swallowed. “That time when you, uh, you caught me trying to make meringues, and my hands shook too much to hold the whisk. Because I was still scared. And… And fuck, dude. You took it so, so carefully from my hands.” Taako sniffed, breaking his gaze from Magnus’ for a moment and wiping a hand roughly across his cheek. “You big, caring dummy.” 

Now, it was Magnus’ turn to reach out. As their hands linked again, Taako’s expression quivered between tears and a wobbly smile. 

“Taako…” 

Taako glanced at him, then away with a painful, beautiful laugh. “And for fuck’s sake, that smile.” His fingers tightened around Magnus’ as his private chuckling went on. “Screw ‘twice’, Mags.” Taako looked up to meet Magnus’ watery grin with his own. “I fell in love with your fucking gorgeous smile a hundred—no, a _thousand_ times.” 

Magnus, overfull with emotion, started to laugh as well, trying to pull one hand back from Taako’s grip to wipe falling tears from his cheeks. Taako grinned and leaned in. “I’m falling for it right now. There it is, Mags. There’s that fucking Magnus Smile that I love, on the man that I love, the man that I already loved for a century, that I will love for another thousand years if he wants it, and he–” 

Magnus choked through a strange mix of a laugh and a sob, and ducked his head forward to press his lips to Taako’s in a teary kiss. It shivered between them, the edges of the kiss sometimes turning into a smile, and Magnus remembered one more thing. 

Of course. This, right here, was still the man he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!! Feel free to tell me your headcanons/what you think here or [at my blog](http://chromochaotic.tumblr.com)!


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